10
Madam, the issue which I would like to raise is a matter of great importance, particularly when it
concerns the poor rural people of this country. The primary health centres which have been located in
the rural areas are in bad shape. Most of the Primary Health centres don't have doctors to take care of
the patients. Most of them do not havethe required medicines and the life saving drugs and most of
them do not have even small operation theatres. This shows a dismal performance of the Primary
Health centres in the country. A study was conducted by ICMR from 1987-88. It says that all categories
of general medicines were not available to the patients and antibiotics were in short supply in most of
the Centres. The emergency drugs like Oxygen were not available. Further the life saving drugs were
either missing or in short supply. This is about the medicine part. I would like to say even the Health
Visitors to the various centers are inadequate further for family planning also to take care of the
pregnant women for ante-natal, intra-natal and post natal, family and child care services, the condition
is very poor. Madam 10% of the primary health centres have no registration facilites for pregnant
women. Only 40% of the pregnant women are registered in rural areas. Out of 80% only 11% of the
pregnant women are registerd in a particular area. The Ministry of Health has given strict guidelines to
the Primary Health Centres to give tetanus toxide and insolic acid injections to the pregnant women but
many of the primary health centres do not follow these guidelines. Only 10% of the health centres are
following these guidelines. Not only that they do not have sufficient staff. The material used by them in
the family planning camps as per the study conducted by the ICMR shows that most of them do not use
sterilised instruments for operation. The managerial capacity of the institutions is also not good. We
have set a goal, "Health for all by 2000 AD". For this the vital thing is primary health centre and these
centres should be strengthened. The posts of doctors which have been lying vacant for 3 or 4 years in
the primary health centres should be filled as early as possible. The vital drugs which are required by the
primary health centres should also be supplied by the concerned authorities.
